role models

On this Episode 324 of The Harold & Maudecast, 'Hidden Gems & Missed Opportunities', celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the film, ROLE MODELS and reviews of TOMB RAIDER and DOWNSIZING.

ROLE MODELS is a story about energy drink reps Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) trash the company trunk and are facing jail time until Danny's recently former girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) does some legal wrangling allowing them to do community service with a mentoring program instead of jail time.

ROLE MODELS was released in 2008 to modest box office results initially, $19,167,085 but it has since been streaming its way to cult status. It's grossed $92,380,927 worldwide thanks to its popularity on DVD and streaming services. Rudd co-wrote the film with David Wain (WANDERLUST, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER), Ken Marino (WANDERLUST) and TImothy Dowling (PIXELS). The cast is filled with comedy character favorites including Jane Lynch (GLEE, 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN), Ken Jeong (THE HANGOVER), Matt Walsh (Veep), Kerry Kenny (Reno 911), Nicole Randall Johnson (Reno 911), and of course McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

ROLE MODELS is currently streaming on HBO Go & Now. It is one of the funniest movies you've probably never seen. Listen to our commentary and review to find out why.

Also in this episode we dive into two films that shoulda, coulda been better than they turned out to be, now in theaters, TOMB RAIDER and now streaming, DOWNSIZING.

TOMB RAIDER
After finding a clue that may lead to the whereabouts of her missing adventurer father, Lord Walter Croft, Lara Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination -- a fabled tomb on a mythical island possibly off the coast of Japan.

TOMB RAIDER, based on the mega popular game series, Tomb Raider developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, is a reboot of the movie franchise [based on said game series] starring Angelina Jolie. This time, Alicia Vikander (EX MACHINA, THE DANISH GIRL) takes on the role of Lara Croft. This new film is based on the widely successful 2013 reboot of the game series. Confused yet? The film also stars Dominic West (The Wire) as Lord Walter Croft and Walton Goggins (Justified) as bad guy Mathias Vogel. Screenplay by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, Directed by Norwegian filmmaker, Roar Uthaug (THE WAVE).

Hardcore fans will be disappointed as the stakes are so much lower and far less adventurous than the game itself. We dissect every missed opportunity and compare movie action to game action.

DOWNSIZING
When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.

Directed by two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne (SIDEWAYS, THE DESCENDANTS) and written by Payne and fellow Oscar winner Jim Tayler (SIDEWAYS), starring Oscar winners Damon, Christoph Waltz and Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis, DOWNSIZING had the pedigree of a winner. Unfortunately this was Payne's weakest film and another missed opportunity.

If TOMB RAIDER's stakes were too low, DOWNSIZING's stakes were too high for what should have been a much simpler comedy. The premise alone paired with the A list cast and Payne's signature brilliance in elevating the mundane to fascinating, would have been all this film needed to be entertaining. Instead, the script veers off into several complex and conflicting plots lines taking the story far away from the concept of downsizing.

Listen as we unpack all the missed opportunities in both of these films.

For more movie, game reviews and other podcasts visit www.thehmcnetwork.com